Chapter 89 (Patreon)

“This guy... came here ready to die for you, didn’t he?”

Ragnar Kagenou kicked Hanami to the ground and pressed his foot down against its head.

Jogo’s eye widened with fury.

“Get your foot off them, you filthy human!”

Ragnar looked down at him with faint amusement.

“Interesting. Really interesting.”

His lips curved slightly.

“So curses can care about each other too?”

Jogo, reduced to nothing but a head, could only glare at him from the ground, trembling with helpless rage.

The Chains of Heaven pierced Hanami’s limbs one after another, then dragged its body upward and suspended it in midair.

Jogo’s expression twisted.

“What are you doing?!”

“Shut up and watch.”

Rip.

“————!!!”

Hanami’s body began to split beneath the pull of the Chains of Heaven. Cracks spread through its flesh, and blood seeped from the torn gaps.

As its limbs were slowly stretched apart, Hanami released a strange, shrill scream—one filled with pain, fear, and the instinctive struggle to survive.

“You...!”

Before Jogo could finish, Ragnar swung his blade and sliced away his mouth.

The curse’s words vanished into a wet, muffled sound.

Ragnar looked down at him coldly.

“You’ve killed humans before. You must have heard screams like this countless times.”

“The sound that crawls out from the bottom of the soul when life is being torn away... when survival is the only thing left.”

He smiled.

“Isn’t it beautiful?”

Jogo stared at him, his remaining eye trembling.

“What’s wrong?”

Ragnar tilted his head.

“Listen a little longer.”

His gaze shifted back toward Hanami.

“And watch it die in front of you.”

Hanami’s body continued to break apart. Blood gushed from the torn sections, splattering down like rain.

Then, under the force of the Chains of Heaven, its limbs were finally ripped away.

Splat.

Hanami’s broken torso dropped—only to be pierced from below by Ame-no-Sakahoko.

The divine spear ran straight through its body and pinned it upright before Jogo’s eye.

Ragnar looked down at him.

“Remember this.”

His voice lowered.

“Your death will be worse.”

To be killed by Ame-no-Sakahoko was not merely to have the body destroyed.

Even the soul would be annihilated.

——————

A long while after Ragnar Kagenou left, Kenjaku appeared leisurely before Jogo, who had been reduced to half a head.

“Tsk, tsk.”

Kenjaku looked down at him with a smile.

“What a miserable sight. I did warn you not to provoke him.”

His gaze moved from Hanami’s fading remains to Jogo lying on the ground.

“No matter what...”

Jogo’s remaining eye burned with hatred.

“No matter what it takes... I want Ragnar Kagenou dead!”

Kenjaku’s smile deepened.

Good.

The more resentment he carried, the more that negative emotion would feed his strength.

“Before that, I should take you back.”

Kenjaku bent down and picked up Jogo’s head.

“It would be troublesome to lose another Special Grade curse.”

With that, Kenjaku carried him away and returned to a building.

When he opened one of the doors, the scenery beyond it was no ordinary room.

It led directly into Dagon’s Domain.

Inside, the sunlight was bright. A blue sea stretched gently into the distance, and white sand spread beneath the calm sky.

It looked more like a resort than a curse’s innate domain.

Kenjaku glanced around.

“What a peaceful domain.”

Dagon was floating on the water like a dead fish.

Mahito lay lazily on a beach chair, one arm hanging over the side.

“How’s Jogo, Kamo?”

“Barely alive.”

Kenjaku raised Jogo’s head slightly.

“Hanami went to save him and died.”

Mahito slowly sat up.

“Hanami... died?”

“Kamo. You were the one who pushed them into moving. Now Hanami’s dead. Got anything to say?”

His voice was light, but his eyes were cold.

Kenjaku only shrugged.

“I saved them once. If I hadn’t, both of them would have died much earlier.”

Then he added calmly,

“I said it from the beginning. Don’t provoke Ragnar Kagenou carelessly.”

He looked at Jogo’s ruined head.

“And now, here we are.”

Kenjaku tossed what remained of Jogo in front of Mahito.

“At least one of them is still alive. And only because Ragnar chose not to kill him. If he had wanted to, both of them would be gone.”

Mahito stared at Jogo for a moment.

“Ragnar Kagenou...”

Kenjaku narrowed his eyes slightly.

“The situation isn’t bad for us.”

Mahito glanced at him.

“Hanami is dead, Jogo looks like this, and you call that not bad?”

“It clarified something important.”

Kenjaku’s smile returned.

“The more people we send at Ragnar Kagenou, the faster they die. Sending several Special Grade curses at him together isn’t strategy. It’s suicide.”

He paused.

“And Ragnar is not our only problem. We still have Satoru Gojo to deal with.”

Mahito leaned back slightly.

“Forget Ragnar for a second. Can you really seal Gojo Satoru?”

Kenjaku answered without hesitation.

“If Ragnar Kagenou doesn’t interfere, the chance of sealing Gojo Satoru is ninety-nine percent.”

Mahito fell silent for a moment.

Then he said,

“If Sukuna and I move together, we should be able to hold Ragnar back for a while.”

Kenjaku smiled.

“Then let’s decide it here.”

His voice was soft, almost pleasant.

“October 31st. Shibuya.”

“I’ll explain the full plan later.”

Mahito’s smile slowly returned.

“Fine by me.”

Kenjaku looked toward the bright sea inside the domain.

“Then we’ll move like curses.”

His smile sharpened.

“And scheme like humans.”

——————

Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

Akari Nitta walked into the room with the dead-eyed expression of someone who had already dealt with too many troublesome people today.

Ragnar glanced at her.

“What’s with that face?”

Akari sighed.

“The Kyoto students arrived.”

“Kyoto?”

Ragnar leaned back slightly.

“Right. That should be the group led by Aoi Todo.”

“They showed up on the first day and went straight for Fushiguro and Kugisaki.”

Akari rubbed her brow.

“The atmosphere is awful. It feels like one spark would set everything off.”

Ragnar looked completely unconcerned.

“What’s wrong with that?”

Akari looked at him.

“Normally, adults try to prevent students from starting fights.”

“It would be weirder if both sides greeted each other politely.”

Akari stared at him for a second, then let out a tired sigh.

“Maybe you’re right.”

She turned to leave, then suddenly remembered something.

“Oh, right.”

Ragnar looked up.

“Yuta and Rika got off the plane today.”

“Already?”

“Yeah.”

“I see.”

——————

Tokyo International Airport.

Yuta Okkotsu and Rika Orimoto stepped out of the terminal.

Yuta looked at the familiar scenery and let out a small breath.

“We’re back.”

“Yeah.”

Rika glanced around, her tone carrying a trace of dissatisfaction.

“I thought we’d be outside Japan a little longer.”

“Rika...”

“I know, I know.”

She looked away.

“I just didn’t think we’d be called back this soon.”

Yuta gave a helpless smile and followed after her.

Then—

“Senpai! Wait up!”

Yuji Itadori came running behind them while dragging a huge bag of luggage.

Yuta stopped, then scratched the back of his head.

“Sorry, Itadori. I forgot you were behind us.”

Rika looked back at the mountain of luggage behind Yuji.

“That’s because he packed like he was moving countries.”

Yuji laughed awkwardly.

“It’s my first time going overseas, so I bought a bunch of stuff. Some of it’s for Fushiguro and Kugisaki.”

Yuta stared at the backpack on Yuji’s shoulders.

It was nearly twice his height.

“Isn’t that a little too much?”

From a distance, Yuji looked less like a student returning from overseas training and more like a delivery worker who had lost a bet.

Rika sighed.

“We can’t keep walking like this.”

She pulled out her phone.

“We’ll call a car.”

Yuji immediately bowed his head.

“Sorry for the trouble, Senpai. Both of you.”

Rika waved it off.

“You’re our kohai, aren’t you?”

Then she pointed at his bags.

“Split some of that. We’ll carry part of it.”

“Eh? Are you sure?”

Yuta smiled gently.

“It’s fine. If we leave you like that, we’ll reach Jujutsu High tomorrow.”

Yuji laughed.

“Thanks!”

The three of them divided the luggage and finally made it out of the airport.

Afterward, Rika used her phone to call a vehicle from Jujutsu High.